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Project makes Olds Park like new

If weather permits, the installation of new amenities could be done in time for Labor Day.

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published July 29, 2005

OLDSMAR - Soon young children will swing, climb and hang from equipment in a new fitness playground designed to get them moving. And new picnic shelters will afford a view of Safety Harbor.

A new round of improvements is under construction on the western side of R.E. Olds Park along Shore Drive.

If the rain lets up, it could be finished by early September, possibly in time for the city's Celebrate Oldsmar festivities over the Labor Day weekend.

"If we get lucky, we'll have the pavement in the parking lots this weekend," said Lynn Rives, Oldsmar's parks, recreation and cultural affairs director.

Three new picnic shelters will be installed on the western edge of the park in an area previously visited mostly by wading birds.

The new playground equipment isn't on the site yet, but it will include things like hanging bars and things to climb. The idea is to get kids moving, Rives said, as part of a parks program that encourages heart-healthy exercise.

The parking lot next to the Elizabeth J. Smith Amphitheater will be repaved and a new parking area south of Devonshire Street will add 19 parking spaces.

As part of the project, new six-foot sidewalks will line the shore. Sidewalks on Shore Drive from Oakwood Boulevard to Chestnut Street will be widened to 8 feet to make room for bikes and pedestrians. The sidewalk widening is part of the first phase of the Oldsmar Parks Connection plan to create bike trails that link local schools and parks and connect to bike trails in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Last week, project superintendent Jim Harrison of Kloote Contracting of Palm Harbor was using a front-end loader to smooth the earth in the area where playground equipment for young children will go.

Before the poles that will hold the equipment can be set in concrete, the soil must be dry enough, and this summer, that's been a challenge. A pump there was sucking water from the soil through pipes, draining it toward the shore, where a great egret and an ibis foraged among the mangroves.

The project was designed by Professional Engineering Consultants of Tampa as part of a city master plan.

Rives said the budget for constructing the project was $500,000, though it looks like it will actually cost about $460,000. A grant from the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program will cover $200,000, with Oldsmar paying the rest.

"We've been fortunate there's been grant money available," Rives said.

Oldsmar has won numerous grants in recent years for park projects, Rives said. He credits the city's recently retired grants administrator, Melodee Dinwiddie, for that.

But on site last week, Harrison thought Rives had something to do with it.

"Lynn goes up to Tallahassee," Harrison said, rubbing his thumb and fingers. "He knows how to get that good stuff."

[Last modified July 28, 2005, 08:19:13]